A Chat with Kristaps Porzingis About His Childhood Cornrows, Latvian Rap, and Living Up to the Hype

Don't call him the Zinger: The Knicks rookie went one on one with us and, to be honest, threw multiple put-back dunks down on our heads.

Kristaps Porzingis has taken the NBA by storm in his rookie season. His shooting touch, his ability to throw down monster put-back dunks, the way he can work in the occasional Dream Shake like it's no big deal:

He's single-handedly turned the Knicks into a watchable basketball team, which is no small feat. Especially considering his less-than-warm welcome on draft night. "Once I heard my name called by the Knicks, it was a dream come true," he says. "And in that moment, I didn't really hear those boos. I had prepared myself for them. I knew if it was New York they were going to boo me, so I had prepared myself, but then in the moment I didn't even hear them."

Naturally, we were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Kristaps to talk about the season so far and some moments from his past. (Cornrows, anyone?) Porzingis was promoting Delta's "Fly Like a Pro" sweepstakes that will let one lucky fan take an all-expenses-paid trip in a Delta private jet to a Knicks road game next season (among other prizes). We're just glad Kristaps is starting to get endorsement deals. I won't be happy until he is on TV constantly trying to sell me things.

Has it been extra sweet to turn those fans who booed you around?I knew sooner or later the fans were going to start to respect me and see my game and see the way I am, but I didn't know it would happen this quick. To see how the fans are starting to like me now, and how they've all sort of changed their opinion of me, it's really nice to see.

I think I should get to the most important question before it's too late. What was the origin of your childhood cornrows?Well, us three brothers, me, Janis, and Martins, we made a bet. We all sat down and said we were going to grow our hair out. But after a month or two they cut their hair. But I was too young to make the decision about whether I would get a haircut, so mine just kept growing. And it was so long, that I decided I should start rocking those cornrows. So I did that one time, then two times, then I just kept on doing that same hairstyle for maybe a year. That was my swag at that time. It was Iverson. It was Carmelo. I started watching NBA basketball at the time, and when you're a kid, you want to be like those guys.

Right now I think Kawhi Leonard is the only player to have the cornrows in the league. Do you think they're going to come back at any point?[Long thoughtful sigh] I'm not sure. They might, but not right now. [Laughs] They're not coming back now.

What was your experience with American culture before you came here?It first started with the movies I guess. I learned English from watching American movies and American series. And you'd watch the movie the first time and not understand anything. Then you'd watch it again and you'd start understanding more and more, and that's how I learned English. And I like the music too. Plus these last couple years [Editor's note: When Porzingis played in Spain] I've had American teammates so I got a lot of stuff from them.

Now, I have three movies that I watch over and over again. I have Friday. I have Dinner For Schmucks. And I have John Wick. There are others too I can't think of now, but those are my go-to movies.

What do you think of the Latvian Rap songs that are dedicated to you? Do you prefer one to the other?The first song was kind of funny. I showed the song to my teammates and the people who work for the team, and they were like, "Hey, that sounds pretty good. We don't know what they're saying, but it sounds pretty good." That's the good thing about the song: Americans don't know what they're saying. Because honestly, the lyrics are not very good. It's funny. It's like a parody, but the beat is good, so people who don't understand think it's a really good song.

The second song was more to support me to get voted for the All-Star game, but it was better. It was more like a real song.

What's it like playing with Melo after you grew up idolizing him?Melo's been great so far. He's like a big brother to me. He's really helping me a lot. We have fun together. We laugh. He's helping me on and off the floor and I couldn't ask for a better mentor.

What is your stance on Robin Lopez's war on mascots? It's become one of my favorite things in the league.It's become one of my favorite things too! It's so funny when he's fighting with the mascots. I don't know where it came from, but it's a great show. The fans love it. Even the players love it. Robin is a funny guy.

"That was my swag at that time. It was Iverson. It was Carmelo. I started watching NBA basketball at the time, and when you're a kid, you want to be like those guys."

I was shocked to read that you live with your family in White Plains. Doesn't that affect your personal life at all?Nah. For me coming into a big city like this, and having a lot of attention on me, it's really nice to have my family around. And yeah, when I feel like it, I have a place in the city that I can escape to, but most of the time I want to spend time with my family. I like having fun with my brothers.

What about dating? Are you out and about, or are you too busy for all that?No! I mean you always gotta find a little bit of time for the girls, right? But there's nothing serious really. Nothing too serious. I haven't been that social yet, and I have been mostly focusing on basketball, but when I have a little more time I might to have to meet some new people.

In the Sports Illustrated profile of you that Lee Jenkins did, you talked about your love of the "Dawkins" basketball highlight YouTube channel. What's it like to go from being a fan of those videos to a subject of them?

It's kind of crazy to one day be watching those highlights trying to be like those guys, and now to just be one of those guys. It's crazy. But I'm still watching them. I gotta thank the guy who makes those videos. He's helped me with my game a lot. I would not stop watching those highlight tapes of all the guys last year and just trying to learn from them. So, I gotta really thank that guy. I appreciate what he's doing for basketball.

Your Knicks look like they might be primed for a playoff push, what are your hopes for the second half of the season?Yeah, I mean that's the goal for us. We want to make it to the playoffs. We gotta stay healthy, we gotta be a good defensive team, and for myself, but the team as well, we gotta find consistency in our game, and that starts with me. I'm the rookie of the team, and if I'm consistent that will bring the team's consistency up as well. That's the number one thing for me.

"Now, I have three movies that I watch over and over again. I have Friday. I have Dinner For Schmucks. And I have John Wick. There are others too I can't think of now, but those are my go-to movies."

What's the biggest surprise about living in America?Maybe how crazy everything gets. Like how people hype everything up. I'm playing the same way I played in Spain, but then nobody really recognized it. Now, in New York, it's just unbelievable how people appreciate it so much. They're just so into basketball and they hype up everything that happens.

I have to admit that I love the nickname "Zinger" for you, but I hear you don't like it. What's up with that?Zinger is not one of my favorites. I like KP. KP's cool. Last year we had an American coach in Spain and he started to call me Zinger, but I didn't like it from the beginning. And then when I came here they started calling me KP and Zinger both, but now they only call me KP because they know I'm not a big fan of Zinger.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 1/4/2014) and Privacy Policy (effective 1/4/2014). GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Condé Nast.